Management Talent Academy 2026

Management Talent Academy 2026!🚀

Want to become a line manager, now or in the future? The Management Talent Academy is a fantastic opportunity to gain hands-on leadership experience whilst completing a Level 3 ILM qualification alongside your full time role. Designed to help you grow in a supportive environment, the programme will help build your confidence, develop your leadership skills, and prepare you for future management opportunities across the business. 

What is the Management Talent Academy? 

The Management Talent Academy is a structured development programme created to help people build the skills, confidence, and experience needed to progress into leadership and management roles. We know many management vacancies ask for 1-2 years of experience, but when you’re already working full time, it can be difficult to gain that opportunity internally. We don’t want talented people to feel they need to leave the business to progress their career, so we’ve created this programme to provide meaningful exposure to leadership in a practical and supportive way. 

Through shadowing, project work, mentorship from managers, additional responsibilities, and attendance at management meetings, participants will gain real insight into leadership and people management whilst continuing in their current role. Taking part in the programme does not guarantee a future management role, however, we hope it helps build a strong internal pipeline of confident, capable individuals ready to apply for future management positions across the business. 

The Management Talent Academy gives participants: 

• Exposure to People Management through shadowing, projects, additional responsibilities, and the opportunity to be partnered with a manager within the business to gain first-hand insight into leadership in practice. 

• The opportunity to attend management meetings and wider business discussions, helping participants build confidence and understanding of leadership decision-making and business operations. 

• The chance to develop skills in key leadership areas such as communication, confidence, emotional intelligence, and people management. 

• A formal accreditation through an ILM Level 3 in Leadership and Management, supporting long-term career growth whilst boosting confidence and leadership capability. 

Programme Outcomes 💫

After the programme participants will:  

• Demonstrate confidence in managing difficult conversations, using clear communication and appropriate levels of assertiveness.  

• Apply effective communication skills to build positive working relationships with colleagues, peers, and team members.  

• Show increased emotional intelligence, enabling them to adapt their leadership style to different individuals and situations.  

• Understand and apply a range of leadership styles. 

• Demonstrate resilience and professionalism. 


• Translate learning into practice, applying knowledge gained from training, mentoring, and shadowing into their day to day role.  

• Develop a clearer understanding of whether a future management role is the right path for them and if it is, have a strong foundation and valuable experience to support future applications for management positions across the business. 

Who Can Join? 

Anyone who has successfully passed their 6 month onboarding period is welcome to apply for the Management Talent Academy!  

The attached pathways are examples, but the programme will be tailored to your specific role and department to ensure everyone has access to meaningful, relevant, and equal development opportunities across the business. 

How Do I Apply? 

If you’re interested in applying, please submit a short Leadership Development Plan outlining:

• The career path or leadership role you’re aiming towards 

• 3-5 development goals that will help you achieve this 

For each goal, please include:

• What you’ve already done (if anything) to start developing in this area 

• How you will measure success 

• How this programme will support your development 

• How this goal will help you become an effective people manager 

In addition, please include a short endorsement from your line manager confirming:

• You have discussed the time commitment required for the programme 

• They will support you throughout the programme, including allowing time for assignments, mentoring, and development activities 

Applications will be reviewed based on the quality and thought put into the application, including motivation for joining the programme, commitment to personal development, and a genuine interest in future leadership opportunities. 

Participant Commitments :

Participants will be expected to: 

• Commit time throughout the programme for assignments, mentoring, shadowing, and development activities. 

• Complete the ILM Level 3 qualification in Leadership and Management. 

• Attend all training and development sessions and remain engaged throughout the programme. 

• Take ownership of their development by actively applying learning and seeking opportunities to grow their leadership skills. 

As the programme will bring together employees from across different teams and departments, we understand there may occasionally be clashes with annual leave or other commitments. If you are unable to attend a session, the slides and session recordings will be shared so you can catch up on any missed content.